


Galo’s Matoi Obsession

by Bumblesnom



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, lio is a good listener
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bumblesnom/pseuds/Bumblesnom
Summary: For years Galo had been used to being mocked and ignored when he talked about his love for matoi so when he’d told Lio that he couldn’t get fired up without it, he’d expected an eye roll or an angry yell to pull himself together.Only… Lio did neither.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 9
Kudos: 187





	Galo’s Matoi Obsession

It was no secret that Galo was passionate about his interests. Often he’d find that one little thing that soon became the centre of his waking world, all of his energy being poured into researching and theorising until he'd exhausted it of its potential. Then, he’d move on. 

Matoi, however, was the one thing that had never left.

Years of dedication had been put into his wide and dense knowledge of matoi, he believed it was what helped him to be such a good firefighter. Respecting those who came before and taking notes from their grit and determination, all while maintaining a heroic smile, had motivated Galo beyond any training ever could. His passion for ancient firefighting practices were an integral part of who he was. Even if nobody really seemed to understand that.

It wasn’t that Burning Rescue were intentionally malicious or rude to him and Galo didn’t hold any grudges against them for it. They were friends, all of them, a family even. That didn’t mean that sometimes he just wished that he could talk to somebody other than his bedroom mirror about the things he was passionate about.

Guilt plagued him whenever he dwelled on it. He knew that it was perfectly healthy to acknowledge that things hurt him without it meaning he was insulting or betraying his friends but sometimes those weeds of doubt took over. It’s not like he expected the entire crew to share the same passion for his interests that he had… but was it too much to ask to have a listening ear?

He’d played it off as though he didn’t mind most of the time when people laughed at his ‘weird matoi obsession’. Acting wasn’t particularly a skill of his but he had become an expert at hiding his dispirited face whenever he spoke about something that meant a lot to him and he was met with a lack of attention or support. It was hard to admit but it hurt.

It hurt that he felt as though his interests didn’t matter because they seemed odd or unusual to others. 

So, after years in an orphanage with the same attitudes, brother-like figures who’d waved him off and called him a nuisance to a rescue team who meant well if only he had the courage to tell them they were hurting him, Galo expected very little whenever it came to sharing his interests.

That’s why when Galo had told Lio he couldn’t get fired up without his matoi, he’d expected an eye roll or an angry yell to pull himself together.

Only… Lio did neither.

Instead, he huffed fondly and produced the most incredible and, to his disbelief, historically accurate matoi he’d ever had the pleasure of wielding. Sure, he’d described it as a ‘weird decoration’ but his demeanour changed in an instant when Galo insisted it wasn’t. No arguments, no belittling, only acceptance. Just remembering the work of art Lio made him sent shivers down his spine and if Galo missed anything about the promare it was his one-of-a-kind fire matoi, the irony of which was not lost to him. 

Regardless, Galo had waved it off as a fluke. They were in the midst of battle and desperate for any ray of hope that they’d be able to pull through. Even if it was as ridiculous as Galo acting petulant about an outdated piece of firefighting equipment. However, Lio had never made him feel ridiculous. In fact, for the first time in a long time Galo felt completely validated. For once, he felt like he’d been heard, and damn did it feel good.

Falling in love with him was inevitable.

“Wait, so the purpose was to draw attention? I thought you fought fires with it!” Lio threw his hands up, eyes focussed on Galo who stood across from him.

“Well that’s the thing, it depends on how you define ‘fighting fires’,” Galo turned away from the presentation he’d projected onto their bedroom wall to face him. “Firefighting isn’t just the putting out part, it’s the entire rescue put together. There’s driving the truck, locating trapped civilians, extinguishing the flame and even drawing attention to the fire in the first place. All of it is important, without the matoi the ancient firefighters wouldn’t know where the fires were to put out. They didn’t have fire alarms back then y’know?” 

“I never thought about it like that before,” Lio said wistfully. From where he sat cross legged on the bed, Lio smiled gently at Galo as he clicked onto the next slide. “It’s what they symbolise that’s so important to you, right?” 

“Yeah,” Galo paused his presentation to answer, “they remind me that as a firefighter, I should always strive to be a beacon of hope that help is on its way. I want people to feel safe when they see us.” Sure, his job was ultimately to extinguish fires but Galo took pride in his dedication to lifting spirits and reassuring people at such a scary and vulnerable moment… “Also they look freaking awesome!”

“Can’t argue with that!” Lio laughed, rocking back on the bed. “It’s a shame the one I made you disappeared with the promare, it really got you fired up. I’ve seen you excited but that was a whole other level.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Just having the memory of how awesome it felt to wield that beauty is enough for me.” He threw the remote onto the bed and crawled across the mattress to hover above Lio. “Lucia’s matoi-tech is more ‘normal fire’ appropriate now that we’re not dealing with ‘end of the world’ fire.” Grinning, he let Lio thread a hand through his hair and pull him down for a short kiss.

“Speaking of Lucia, she told me to tell you that you’re banned from using the matoi-tech for the next two weeks.” Lio chose to break that particular piece of news as their lips parted.

“WHAT?” He sat up quickly and frowned at his boyfriend for an explanation.

“After the damage it took yesterday she said she wanted to make some big repairs and improvements. I tried to catch everything she said but I only understand so much about mechanics and Lucia didn’t really stick around to explain.” Slowly, Lio sat up too and squeezed his thigh comfortingly. “Unfortunately you’re gonna have to join the rest of us in the normal mechs. I asked Ignis though and he said you can take your old matoi with you if you want.” A proud smirk lifted his lips and it was clear that Lio was impressed by his own ability to make Ignis relent. 

Though he was disappointed about losing his mech, being able to still have the comfort of his original matoi with him made matters much better. How was he supposed to fight fires  _ and  _ look cool without it? He was Galo Thymos, number one firefighting (not really) idiot, matoi were his thing! Even if it wasn’t as cool as his high-tech version, he’d wave his handcrafted matoi with that same determined grin and do his job.

“And by asked you mean…?” He teased, suddenly processing the fact that Lio had managed to convince Ignis to let him haul around extra, outdated equipment. That was damn near impossible. Believe him he’d tried.

“I don’t beg but I may have been a  _ little _ annoying. I just explained how much it meant to you and I think he saw reason.” Lio explained simply, tapping his fingers on Galo’s leg rhythmically. “It was worth it, I knew the news would bum you out so I was hoping this would cheer you up a little.” He turned to face him fully with a small smile and nudged their shoulders together.

It never failed to amaze him just how thoughtful Lio was. Maybe over the years Galo had gained unhealthily low expectations from the people in his life… hell he’d started to feel as though his passion was too obnoxious. He was only human, he got insecure when people, intentional or not, made him feel like his interests weren’t valuable to them. He knew Burning Rescue cared about him, they weren’t intentionally trying to hurt him with their comments about his ‘silly’ matoi obsession. That didn’t mean it didn’t sting sometimes.

Lio took every word Galo gave him and stored it in his heart. He smiled when he spoke, asked him questions and remembered as much as he could. One day he’d come home with a mop purely because it reminded him of Galo’s matoi and they’d spent far too long on the floor cackling with laughter. It made him feel special, valued… loved.

“Thanks, Lio.” Cupping his cheek, Galo smacked an obnoxious kiss against Lio’s lips jokingly before sealing it with a slower, sincere one. “You’re the best, I love you.”

“It was no problem, I love you too.”

* * *

As soon as he and Lio entered the station two weeks later a small pale hand smacked over his eyes.

“Ow, hey!” He yelped.

“Shit, sorry,” Lio laughed, pulling his hand away to gently rub the area he hit with a grin plastered on his face that made it clear he was only a little bit sorry. “Close your eyes, I’ll lead you. That might cause less accidents.” Wrapping a hand around his bicep, Lio cocked his head for an affirmation.

“Are you sure about that?” Galo wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to walk around the station with his eyes closed. Of course he trusted Lio to not run him into a wall but there was an entire team of mischievous firefighters as well as Meis and Gueira hanging around, it wasn’t going to be hard for at least one of them to pull a joke on him. He’d already ended up on the wall of shame twice this month, he wasn’t about to make it a third less than two weeks in.

“Trust me!” Lio was still laughing, squeezing his arm as though it would help to convince him.

“Okay, okay,” he relented. Covering his eyes as commanded, Galo let Lio guide him through the station.

Listen, Galo may be impulsive but he was intuitive enough to have an idea as to what was going on. He could tell from the direction he was being led that they were heading towards the garage that houses the mechs that are undergoing repair. Mechs such as his matoi-tech.

The only problem was that Galo  _ knew _ his mech was due to be complete today. Everyone else knew that too. Surely Lio wasn’t leading him to the mech he already knew was waiting for him? Hell, Galo could distinctly remember gushing to Lio about how excited he was to hop back into it when they’d woken up that morning. Nothing had given him the impression that Lio wasn’t listening, he could’ve sworn he was nodding and humming along if not a little quiet.

Maybe a new paint job? Some new LEDs? Had Lucia finally installed the new boosters he’d practically begged her for?

His questions were soon answered when Lio placed a hand on his arm and told him to open his eyes. It was clear that his boyfriend was giddy and Galo couldn’t help but find his excitement infectious. Whatever it was, Lio must have played a part in it.

When he opened his eyes however, his world flipped upside down. It couldn’t be...could it?

There, shining with vibrant fresh paintwork was an exact replica of his burnish matoi. The icy crystal-like design sparkled even in the old faded lights of the station's garage and Galo swore he felt his jaw smack against the floor at the sight. He’d dreamed of being able to so much as see this matoi again… to have the knowledge that he’d get to use it again on the daily was overwhelming. Lio… only he could have done this.

“Lio… did you do this?” Bewildered, Galo gaped at his boyfriend who was looking far too pleased with himself to have not been the driving force behind the surprise.

“Lucia helped with most of the mechanics but I  _ did  _ ask her if she would redesign your matoi. It took some time to get the designs right but… do you like it?” A brief expression of apprehension washed over his boyfriend’s face and Galo rushed to reassure him that he was nothing but overwhelmingly grateful.

“I LOVE IT!” Galo threw himself at Lio, squeezing him tightly around the waist and rubbing his cheek against the top of his head. Instead of yelling at him for almost certainly cutting off his air supply, Lio chuckled warmly, and hugged him back just as tight. Loosening his hold a little to keep the hug comfortable, Galo pulled his head back to press their foreheads together and took in Lio’s soft expression.

“Thank you… so much. I don’t even know what to say, it means a lot.” It was no lie either, Galo truly was speechless. He barely spoke about that burnish matoi, mostly because he didn’t want to remind Lio too much about his old life as a burnish on the run. He never wanted Lio to feel as though he was glorifying the impulses to burn that had caused him so much pain. 

“I know you Thymos, your eyes light up whenever I mention the matoi I made you. Plus I missed being able to create things using my flame… this isn’t the same but it came pretty close. If I could use that drive to create to get you a new matoi then it seemed perfect.” His eyes were so sincere, so gentle and caring. “Lucia did a really good job of making it come alive.” 

“She really did,” Galo sighed happily.

“ _ She’s  _ still here y’know?” A voice burst their bubble and suddenly Galo became very aware that they were still in the room and still very much visible to others. 

“Lucia!” Galo greeted, belatedly. “I was gonna chew you out for keeping me from my precious matoi for two weeks but I guess I can spare you from the complaining.” He joked, slipping out of infatuated boyfriend mode into something more appropriate for friendly workplace conversation.

“You better, this was a pain to build but I’m glad you like it… Lio was  _ very  _ insistent that I got it perfect,” she started giggling mischievously, teasing Lio and laughing harder, if not fondly, when he looked away bashfully. “I could’ve sworn you’d possessed him, he was all ‘matoi this’ and ‘matoi that’ and ‘no that’s not right, Galo said...’, it was sweet even if it did double my workload.” Walking over to them, she moved her goggles onto her head and pulled off her gloves.

“Thanks, Lucia,” he said sincerely and pulled her into a hug. “This means a lot to me.”

“Mmm, I know. Lio really opened our eyes about that… I’m sorry Galo, for not always listening.” Despite the height difference, she lifted her chin to meet his eyes and it was clear in her face that she meant every word. The relief that coursed through his body as the source of so many insecurities were suddenly validated caught him off guard. It was like the weight of the earth had suddenly slipped from his shoulders. A part of him wished he’d brought it up sooner, but he guessed there was no time but the present to start moving forward. Especially if it felt this freeing.

“Thanks…” he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, feeling touched but slightly awkward. It’s not that this could particularly be called a confrontation but it felt strange to have the concerns he’d held inside all this time suddenly be out in the open.“I appreciate it,” he settled for saying and he meant it. At the base of all of this, whether they were talking about the matoi or the vague heart to heart, he was so grateful.

For a moment they looked at each other with mutual understanding. It was clear there were no hard feelings and Galo knew that things could only look up from here. His friends still had his back. They hadn’t shut him out or turned on him, instead they were striving to make amends. Galo couldn’t stop the smile from growing on his face. Things were going to be okay.

“Anyway,” Lucia clapped, breaking the moment and returning to her dangerous grin. It was a smile that promised pure chaos and boy was Galo in. “C’mon I wanna show you what this bad boy can do!” She grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the mech.

With one final look back at Lio, Galo simply mouthed ‘thank you’ with his eyes watering in appreciation. He didn’t know how he was ever going to return the favour, though he knew that wasn’t the point. They supported each other, that was enough for them. His heart burst when Lio grinned and mouthed back to him.

‘I love you.’

**Author's Note:**

> During a rewatch of promare the scene where Lio creates that matoi using his flames really stuck with me. It’s the only time we really see Galo get mad about his interests being mocked when Lio calls it a ‘weird decoration’. Seeing how quickly Lio changed his attitude and manifested it without complaint made the cogs in my head start to turn. That’s how I came to the idea that Lio would be a really good listener and always pay attention whenever Galo ended up on a rant about his latest obsession, as well as helping him be more open when things upset him, such as his love for matoi being mocked. 
> 
> I’ve been writing this between breaks for Barely Catching our Breath (which is taking a while to write and I apologise for that), I just needed to write something that didn't require heavy editing or planning. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!! Come and say hello, I’m on Twitter @cosmicfotia


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